Monday, November 27, 2017

The Choice: MEconomy or WEconomy?


Several years ago, I encountered Charles Eisenstein and the gift-economy.1 It was like light flooding into the darkened maze of our competitive, profit-obsessed, BIG business culture. My first introduction to Eisenstein was through the printed word, but here is a short film introduction for the uninitiated:


Sacred Economics with Charles Eisenstein - A Short Film (Time 12:08) at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEZkQv25uEs&t=4s
Sometime before Eisenstein, I had encountered Daniel Pink2 and his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Therein, he described how researchers have discovered that money as a reward / incentive can actually be a hindrance and disincentive to efficiency, creativity, and best effort.

Then about two weeks ago, I heard Quinn Michaels3 distill the choice into: MEconomy or WEconomy.

So, let us ponder: What are the choices we are individually making in economics? Do we think we have to wait for “authorities” to setup,  define, or structure the WEconomy before we can choose? Have we fallen into the déjà vu seduction of power and gain agendas of the MEconomy?4 Do we have the courage and faith to trust in God's gift economy and begin to make individual changes that in the aggregate of many individuals can change the world?

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1. https://charleseisenstein.net/ ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Eisenstein ; http://sacred-economics.com/ ;
My previous posts relating to the gift-economy are at http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/2014/06/gods-economy-is-it-possible.html ; http://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.ca/2013/12/gods-economy-christmas-perspective.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_H._Pink ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive:_The_Surprising_Truth_About_What_Motivates_Us
My posts relating to Daniel Pink are at http://dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/2013/02/one-more-nail.html ; http://dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/2014/03/truly-afflicted-with-riches.html
3. I did not record the exact video at the time, but Quinn Michaels is a unique researcher who may have much to tell us, if we are able to listen beyond our possible biases or expectations, and beyond the smear campaigns of those pursuing or protecting power and gain agendas. His YouTube channel is at https://www.youtube.com/user/quinnmichaels
4. Remember Ayn Rand, et al.? http://dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/2014/03/me-me-mine.html ; http://dejavu-times.blogspot.ca/search/label/AynRand